Creamy Tomato Meatball Casserole

INGREDIENTS:
36 ½-oz. Italian Style Meatballs
1 10-oz. can tomato soup
1 26-oz. pasta sauce, any flavor
1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup Light cream or half and half
1/4 cup Bread crumbs
1/8 cup Olive oil
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Use the oil to coat the sides of a 4-quart casserole dish. Combine the tomato soup and pasta sauce with the cream, mix well, then add the meatballs. Pour the meatball mixture into the casserole dish, top with the cheeses and breadcrumbs and bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.  Serve over cooked noodles.

Carne Asada Burritos

COMBINE:
1⁄2	cup chopped fresh cilantro
1⁄2	cup each canola oil and fresh lime juice
4	Tbsp. chipotle sauce
2	Tbsp. minced fresh garlic
2	Tbsp. distilled white vinegar
11⁄2	tsp. kosher salt
1	tsp. each ground cumin and black pepper
ADD:
1	top sirloin, trimmed (1½ lb.)
HEAT:
2	Tbsp. canola oil
2	red bell peppers, sliced
1	sweet onion, sliced
WARM:
6	burrito-size flour tortillas (10-inch)
2	cups chopped romaine lettuce
2	avocados, peeled, pitted, and sliced
6	Tbsp. purchased pico de gaillo
2	Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Combine ½ cup cilantro, ½ cup oil, lime juice, chipotle sauce, garlic, vinegar, salt, cumin, and black pepper in a large bowl.

Add steak to marinade; toss to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; chill 4–12 hours, flipping steak occasionally.

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large cast-iron skillet over high until it shimmers. Remove steak (reserving ¼ cup marinade) and season with salt and black pepper; cook 5–7 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steak to a cutting board; tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes. Slice steak against the grain.

Sauté bell peppers and onion in drippings in skillet with reserved marinade over medium-high heat until crisp-tender, 3–5 minutes.

Warm tortillas in a large nonstick skillet over low heat.

Divide steak, bell pepper-onion mixture, romaine, avocado, pico de callo, and 2 Tbsp. cilantro among tortillas. Fold sides of tortilla into center, then roll edge closest to you over the filling; continue rolling and tucking in filling until enclosed.

Sunrise Breakfast Casserole

INGREDIENTS

• 2 packages (12 ounces each) sausage links
• 9 large eggs
• 3 cups milk
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 package (30 ounces) Country Style Hash Browns
• 2 cups (8 ounces each) shredded 4-cheese Mexican cheese
• 1/2 cup sweet red pepper, diced
• 1/3 cup green onions , thinly sliced
• 2 cups salsa or picante sauce (optional) 

 

Directions

1. Place sausage on a 15-inch x 10-inch x 1-inch baking pan.
2. Bake at 375˚F for 15 to 20 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink and an internal temperature of 165˚F is reached, turning once; drain and slice into 1/4-inch coins.
3. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, mustard, salt and pepper.
4. Add the hash browns, sausage, cheese, sweet red pepper and green onions; mix well.
5. Pour into a greased 13-inch x 9-inch x 2-inch baking dish.
6. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
7. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.
8. Bake, uncovered, at 350˚F for 65 to 70 minutes or until set and golden brown and an internal temperature of 165˚F is reached.
9. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
10. Serve with salsa or picante sauce if desired.

Coconut Syrup

1/2 c. butter

3/4 c. buttermilk
1 c. sugar
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. coconut extract

Place butter, buttermilk and sugar in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and boil one minute.

Remove from heat and add baking soda and extract, stirring constantly. It will bubble up, so if your pot is small, hold it over the sink to avoid spillage. Continue to stir syrup and let it rest for a few minutes before serving. Serve over almost any breakfast food: waffles, pancakes, French toast, crepes, etc.

Key Lime Bars with Gingersnap Cookie Crust

CRUST
2 cups finely crushed *crunchy* gingersnap cookies (or graham crackers)
3 Tablespoons salted butter, melted


FILLING
4 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
4 large egg yolks
14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk (not fat free)
1/2 cup key lime juice or 1/4 cup lemon juice & 1/4 cup lime juice
2 teaspoons lime zest (about 1 lime)


DIRECTIONS:
1.Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Lightly spray 9x9 pan with nonstick spray.
2.Crust: Pulverize the crunchy gingersnap cookies into a fine crumb with a food processor. Pour into a medium sized bowl and mix with the melted butter.
3. Press crust firmly and evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes as you make the filling.
4. Filling: In a large bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese on high speed until smooth.
5. Beat in the egg yolks, scraping down the sides as needed.
6. Beat in the sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, and lime zest until combined.
7. Pour into the warm crust. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the edges of the bars begin to brown.
8. Allow the bars to cool at room temperature in the pan on a wire rack. Once cooled, place the the refrigerator to chill completely, at least 2 hours.

Salted Caramel Ganache Tart

INGREDEINTS

FOR THE CRUST:
1 ½ cups flour
¼ cup plus 1 tbsp. dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ tsp. kosher salt
10 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed and softened
½ cup plus 2 tbsp. confectioners' sugar
2 egg yolks, preferably at room temperature
½ tsp. vanilla extract

FOR THE CARAMEL:
1 ½ cups sugar
3 tbsp. light corn syrup
¼ tsp. kosher salt
6 tbsp. water
6 tbsp. unsalted butter
6 tbsp. heavy cream
1 tbsp. crème fraiche

FOR THE GANACHE:
½ cup heavy cream
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Gray sea salt for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make the crust: Heat oven to 350˚. Combine flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Using a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until mixture is pale and fluffy; mix in yolks and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients. Transfer dough to a 9" fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and press dough evenly into bottom and sides of pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Prick the tart shell all over with a fork and bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool.

2. Make the caramel: In a 1-qt. saucepan, whisk together sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 6 tbsp. water and bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer inserted into the syrup reads 340°. Remove pan from heat and whisk in butter, cream, and crème fraîche (the mixture will bubble up) until smooth. Pour caramel into cooled tart shell and let cool slightly; refrigerate until firm, 4–5 hours.

3. Make the ganache: Bring cream to a boil in a 1-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Put chocolate into a medium bowl and pour in hot cream; let sit for 1 minute, then stir slowly with a rubber spatula until smooth. Pour ganache evenly over tart and refrigerate until set, 4–5 hours. Sprinkle tart with sea salt, slice, and serve chilled.

Coconut Pumpkin Custard

Recipe from A Taste of Thai

INGREDIENTS
1-13.5 oz can Coconut Milk
1 cup canned pure pumpkin (not pie mix)
3/4 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg Cinnamon sugar (for garnish)

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. With a mixer or whisk, beat Coconut Milk, pumpkin, sugar, eggs, salt, extract and nutmeg until well mixed. Fill each custard cup with 2/3 cup of pumpkin mixture and lightly sprinkle top with cinnamon sugar.
3. Make a water bath by filling a 9" x 13" baking dish with 4 cups of hot water. Place each filled custard cup in baking dish.
4. Carefully place baking dish in oven and bake for 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted near the center of the custard comes out clean.
5. For an extra fancy presentation sprinkle each 'cold' custard with a teaspoon of sugar. Melt sugar with a torch or under a broiler until just golden. Watch the heating process carefully, as the sugars can turn from golden to burnt very quickly.

YIELD
6 - 2/3 cup servings

TIME
10 minutes to assemble
40 minutes to bake
Total time: 50 minutes